


small luxuries

by stuff_and_nonsense



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Cunnilingus, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 10:06:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16015673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuff_and_nonsense/pseuds/stuff_and_nonsense
Summary: For the first time since they've started traveling together, they're staying at an inn. Caleb wants to do something nice for Nott.





	small luxuries

“What do we do now?” Nott asked. It was her first time staying at an inn, and it was all a bit weird so far. She’d been traveling with Caleb for a few months, but so far they’d spent their nights in the woods or curled up in back alleys. But they were running a longer con than usual, one that required Caleb to be reachable at an address, so they’d shelled out a few of their coins to rent a room. 

She’d been quiet while Caleb had talked to the innkeeper, shrinking deep into her hood. He’d asked for their food to be brought to the room, making the request with a friendly smile that only Nott could tell was forced. They’d just been shown upstairs, to a room with a single bed and a small table. Nott looked around it nervously.

“Well, I’d just planned to study,” Caleb said. “It’s nice to stay somewhere with proper light. And the food will be up in a while. But I suppose it’s still early, if you need to go anywhere.”

“No, not really,” Nott said. She’d picked up a lovely necklace earlier, so the itch wasn’t too bad, and she had no other business out in town. “I’ve just never been in an inn before.” There was a window in the room – good if they needed to run – with a threadbare curtain hanging over it. The bed seemed large: you could fit at least eight Notts in it, or four Calebs if they huddled close. But maybe it was small by human standards. It wasn’t a fancy inn by any means, Caleb had told her, but compared to the woods it was positively luxurious. There were lanterns everywhere, and the room was warm despite the chill evening air.

She occupied herself by checking the room for danger, while Caleb fussed with his books. Nothing under the bed but dust bunnies, and nothing outside the window but a deserted alleyway. There was a knock on the door, and she darted into a corner, pulling her hood up again.

“Ah, thank you,” Caleb said, as he accepted their food from a serving girl. “Should we bring the plates down when we’re finished?”

“No need,” said the girl, “I’ll pick them up in the morning. Though you can drop them downstairs if you want, if you come down for a drink. Half-price on the first one if you’re staying here.”

“I expect we’ll sleep early. But I appreciate it.” His shoulders visibly relaxed as the girl left, closing the door behind her. “Help yourself,” he told Nott as he placed the food on the table. “I’ll finish this up and join you in a moment.”

She went to inspect the food. It wasn’t too different from what they usually ate on the road – a piece of unidentifiable meat, a small pile of greens, a hunk of bread – but there was a lot more of it than she was used to. It was evenly cooked, better than they’d ever managed on a campfire, and the bread was almost fresh. She tore in, careful to leave enough for Caleb.

“It’s good!” she told Caleb, as he put his book away and joined her at the table. 

“Ja, it looks it,” he said. “It’s nice to have a meal cooked by someone else for once. We won’t be able to do this for more than a couple nights, but we may as well enjoy it while we still have the funds.”

He put down his own portion quickly, mopping the plate clean with his bread. Like her, he knew better than to waste food. She watched him happily while he ate. He was too thin, and it was good to see him get fed properly.

“There’s a washroom down the hall,” he said when he’d finished. “I should stop in – I’ll have to make a good impression tomorrow. Do you want to come?”

She wasn’t much for water, but she was curious, so she followed him down the hall. The washroom wasn’t much – small, with a tub of unheated water. There was a door that locked though, and she was happy for the chance to keep her mask off while she looked around. Someone had left a few little satchets of dried flowers by the side of the tub. Their smell was faint but pleasant, wildflowers from the area. She slipped one bundle in her pocket, in case it came in handy later.

While Caleb scrubbed himself down, kneeling awkwardly in the small tub, she poked at the row of soaps by one wall. There were a few of them, all clearly used, and they smelled like flowers too. One of them was especially nice, a little bit sharper than the others. She licked it experimentally, but regretted it right away. Another point against baths. 

Now she was bored, and out of things to look at. There was a mirror, but that’s to be avoided, and there was Caleb, but she felt weird staring at him, even after the ways they’ve touched each other before. It was funny to see the expression on his face though, grimacing as he rinsed out his hair. If he had to suffer though this, she might as well too. Since he was still in the tub, at least she had an excuse not to get all the way in. She grabbed a threadbare towel and stripped down, dunking part of the towel in the water and rubbing off the worst of the dirt. By the time she’d finished, Caleb was pulling his road clothes back on over his furry chest and skinny legs. He had another set of clothes in his bag, she knew, ones that weren’t so dirty, but maybe he was saving them for tomorrow.

When they made it back to the room, he set up his silver thread first thing. With the alarm in place and the window closed and covered, she relaxed a little bit. Someone could still break in, but there was no one with much of a reason too, and no wild beasts to watch out for. Caleb stripped off his coat and pulled out a book, climbing onto the bed to read. Nott started to set up a nest in the corner, piling up her cloak and the bits of bedding they carry.

“You can sleep up here,” Caleb told her when he noticed. “There’s plenty of room for the both of us.”

“Are you sure?” Nott asked. They usually slept curled up close together, out in the woods, but it might be different here. A bed meant things that a chilly campsite didn’t.

“Of course,” he said, patting the spot next to him. “Here, I’ll tell you about the spell I’m learning.”

She climbed up. It was weirdly soft – she could feel her butt sinking into it as she shifted into place next to him. She leaned in a little, and he put an arm around her.

“Do you like it here?” he asked. “I know it must be a change.”

She nodded. “It feels safer, and there’s better food. It’s worth the washroom and having to talk to the innkeeper.”

“Good, good,” he said. “You know, I’ve felt guilty lately. We’ve been…close? Involved? for a while now, and we’ve been living so rough, I haven’t been able to do much for you.”

“That’s not true!” she burst out. “You’ve done so much for me, Caleb!”

“And you for me.” He smiled at her. “But I mean – when I was young, before I left home, my mother would tell me, you know, if you spend time with a girl, there are certain things you should do for her. Treat her nicely, buy presents for her… And I know nothing about what we are is conventional, but I still feel bad sometimes that I cannot do those things for you.” 

“You do though! You do a lot of nice things for me.”

“Maybe, but I… Anyway. I hope you like it here.” He leaned down and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Nott snuggled in closer, then turned her head up to kiss him on the mouth. Though they’d done this many times now, it was a still pleasant surprise when he returned it. He cupped the back of her head gently with one hand as he did. He slid his mouth away after a few moments, instead dropping little kisses on her neck, her ears, the top of her chest. It tickled a little, but it was sweet.

They’d shifted in the bed as they kissed, and Nott was on her back now, with Caleb propped up on one arm above her. Her shirt had slipped up a little, and she self-consciously tugged it back into place, covering the bit of green stomach poking though.

“Sorry,” Caleb said when he noticed. “Do you want to stop?”

She shook her head. “No, I really don’t. I just got embarrassed.” There was no real reason to be; they’d taken a bath together not half an hour ago. But this was different, stretched out on a bed together. She didn’t want it to seem like she was showing herself off, like some gross parody of a sexy lady, like there was anything worth seeing under her rough clothes.

Caleb sat up, and moved his neglected book aside, setting it safely off the bed. He gave her a considering look, then pulled his shirt off, yanking it over his head. “Is this all right?”

“Yes, definitely,” she told him. It was pretty obvious what he was trying to do, but she appreciated it. She appreciated the view too. She took a moment to look properly, at his bony chest and soft stomach and the little knots of scar tissue scattered about. It was still funny to her how much hair some humans have on their bodies. She liked it, wanted to know what it felt like to touch. He’d always kept his shirt on before.

He was still very close to her. She reached over, running one finger as gently as she could up the little trail of hair under his bellybutton. He drew in a slow contented breath, and she grew bolder, stroking one of the furry patches on his chest. It was rougher than the hair on his head, but not unpleasant, and long enough that she could hold a bit of it between her fingers. Probably too short to braid. She might still try sometime though.

Better things to do right now though. She stretched up to kiss him again, and he leaned back down towards her. One of his hands rested on her hip, then wandered upward, moving just inside her shirt.

She didn’t mind that at all. His hand was warm against her back, calming. He was bent low over her, close enough that their chests almost touched. Her shirt was riding up again, but she decided she was going to be brave, and didn’t tug it back. It wasn’t like he could see much from this angle anyway.

His kisses began to drift lower again, as he nuzzled at her neck and the tiny bit of torso he could reach. After some time, he shifted down and pressed his lips softly to her exposed stomach. 

It tickled a lot, and she couldn’t help laughing. “Sorry, sorry!” she said as Caleb pulled back. “I’m not laughing at you. It just tickled.”

“No, no, I understand,” he said. “My apologies.” His expression turned serious. “You know, I am going to show you something very terrible that an old friend once did to me.” He leaned back down to her stomach, looked up to meet her eyes for a moment, and then blew a raspberry right against her belly-button. 

She shrieked and kicked despite herself. Caleb was trying to look serious again, but she could catch the smirk peeking out. “Is that what your mother told you to do to girls?” she asked when she’d recovered.

“Ah, no, that I learned later,” he said. “Sorry to tease you.”

“It’s very unfair of you,” she told him. “I don’t think I can even make that noise.” She tried a few times, but her lips-to-teeth ratio was all wrong. Caleb laughed and ruffled her hair.

“But seriously though,” he said, “if I haven’t ruined the moment, there is something I’d like to try. I hope it will be a nice thing for you, but if you don’t like it, just tell me and I will stop.”

“Ok,” she said. He was still shirtless and close, and she had no interest in stopping just yet. 

“Lie back?” he asked her, and she did, propping herself up on her elbows. He bent back down to kiss her stomach again, lower this time, running his lips just about the waistline of her pants. She was less uncomfortable now; the joking around had taken most of the edge off her nerves. Caleb began undoing the drawstring of her pants, looking up at her questioningly. 

“Go ahead,” she told him. He pulled the string loose and slid the pants down a little, exposing her bony hips and her thatch of dark green hair. She squirmed a little in embarrassment, but didn’t object. She had an idea, now, where this was going. She’d never have dared to ask Caleb for it, but if he was offering…

He kept it slow, running fingers and mouth over her hipbones, teasing lower only occasionally while he worked her pants the rest of the way off with his free hand. It was surprisingly smoothly done; maybe it helped that she was small. He left the wrappings on her feet and calves alone, which she appreciated. She wasn’t so exposed, really, only from knees to hips. She still winced at the first stroke of his hand across her thigh. Would it feel weird to him? She thought her skin might be rougher than other people’s, but she wasn’t sure, hadn’t exactly had much basis for comparison.

If it was, he didn’t seem to care. He kissed his way up her leg, back to her hips, down again to the inside of the joint. One of his hands was between her legs now, and his thumb circled the edges of the lips there. She hummed a little, happily. This they’d done before, and it had always been very nice.

He wet a finger in his mouth, ran it gently over her clit. His thumb slid inside her, then out, teasing. He was always very slow and careful when they started this. She thought maybe he worried about the size difference, the way she worried about her teeth. The movements of his hand grew more confident as she began to grow slick. She relaxed a little, let herself enjoy it.

Now something new, confirming that her guess had been right. Caleb’s mouth moved to the inside of her thigh, planting a soft kiss there. It was warm and wet, and his hair tickled against her legs. She tensed again, realizing how much he must be able to see. Before she had time to really get worked up about it, he kissed her again, this time lightly against her clit.

She blushed, but she couldn’t deny that it felt really good. She worried for a moment about what to do with her hands – she couldn’t quite reach Caleb, and putting them on herself felt silly. She laid them down by her sides, and put the thought away. Caleb would tell her what to do, if it mattered. She could trust him. He was down there right, now, doing something lovely with his tongue, no sign of disgust or hesitation. He wouldn’t hate her or hurt her or be grossed out. He never had been, all the times she’d thought he should before. 

She closed her eyes and sank further into the pillow, letting herself enjoy the sensations between her legs. Caleb’s mouth must cover everything down there as his tongue moved against her. It was different from anything she’d felt before, warm and comfortable and very distracting.

When she opened her eyes again, Caleb was looking up at her, his bright blue eyes meeting hers. His hair was a little more disheveled than usual, strands falling out of the loose ponytail he’d pulled it into, and there was a little bit of moisture on his cheeks. The sight sent something through her, a bolt in the pit of her stomach. She gasped a little. His eyes crinkled up; he must be smiling.

He was moving faster now, making little circles, sliding away for a moment and then returning. She heard herself make more little noises, squeaks and gasps, as she felt the pressure building up. She didn’t bother trying to hold them back. 

Caleb reached up to hold her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. He did something indescribable with his tongue, and she squeezed his hand tight as her vision nearly blacked out.

He didn’t pull back right away, but eased off as the stars in her vision faded away. As she caught her breath, he picked up his discarded shirt and wiped off his soaked mouth and chin. He probably wouldn’t wash that shirt for a while, she knew, and was kind of glad of it. It would feel a little more like he was hers, even if no one else could tell under all the other scents.

Moving to the top of the bed, he pulled up the blankets and slid under, then wrapped his arms around her. She wriggled free for just a moment, put her pants back on and blew the light out. Considering for a moment in the dark, she pulled off her shirt before rejoining him in the bed. She snuggled in next to him, luxuriating in the feeling of his warm skin against hers.

“Thank you Caleb,” she said. “That was a very nice present.” He stroked her hair as they drifted off to sleep.


End file.
